Love Is Like A Torch (It's Burning Bright)
by TheFifthCharmedOne
Summary: [Sequel to When They Think of Me (They Think of You)] Six months later, nobody expected this to happen. "What did you think? We were all going to live happily ever after? Please. Spare me your sparkly bullshit." – Destiel, Sabriel, Anna/Charlie/Jo, Jess/Garth, and others.
1. Afraid To Be Happy

Love Is Like a Torch (It's Burning Bright)

By: TheFifthCharmedOne

Disclaimer: Nope. Kripke owns the characters, the show just owns my soul.

Summary: [Sequel to When They Think of Me (They Think of You)] Six months later, nobody expected this to happen. "What did you think? We were all going to live happily ever after? Please. Spare me your sparkly bullshit." – Destiel, Sabriel, Anna/Charlie/Jo, Jess/Garth, and others.

-X-X-X-

Chapter One: Afraid To Be Happy

Castiel Novak was a man of many things.

He was a loyal brother, a dedicated academic, a skilled artist, a recent graduate school alumnus, and a proud gay man.

His 6'0 frame was currently covered by a dark blue Christmas sweater and khaki dress pants. His sweater had obnoxious Christmas trees and reindeer art on it, on the back one of the animals was urinating on an evergreen tree. Despite the ridiculousness of it however, Cas appreciated its sentimentality, as it had been a gag gift from his brother Gabriel two Christmases previous.

He was currently holding a mug of hot chocolate topped with whipped cream, and each time he sipped, he'd have to lick away the cream from his upper lip.

He could feel his boyfriend's eyes on him as he did it, and he tried not to smirk.

"You bastard." Dean growled into his ear. "You're doing that on purpose."

"What? I'm drinking my hot chocolate, Dean." Cas said as innocently as he could.

"Uh huh." Dean crowded closer and took the mug from Cas's hands, set it on the table, and crashed their lips together. Cas's squeak turned into a moan, and his hands instantly went to the back of Dean's neck.

Soon enough, they were horizontal on the couch, the Christmas movie they'd been watching long forgotten.

Dean mumbled something against Cas's neck.

"What?" Cas asked, breath hitching as Dean's hand gravitated closer to the zipper of his pants.

"Move in with me."

Cas froze. Dean shifted back so that he met the other man's gaze, his green eyes soft with affection but also nervousness. "You're here all the time anyway," Dean continued, his teeth coming out to pull over his bottom lip. "I just figured…"

"Yes." Cas said, surprising himself with the certainty in his voice. "Yes. I'll move in with you."

Dean's smile is so wide and happy, Cas swore that their outdoor decorations brightened a little.

-X-X-X-

The next day, Dean and Cas went to their local IKEA (even though Cas was unsure about putting the furniture together themselves) and bought a king size bed.

"This is awesome," Dean said happily as he and Cas ate lunch in the store. "Expensive, but awesome."

"I agree." Cas said, biting into his barbecue chicken sandwich. "So, should we start putting the bed together today?"

Dean swallowed a bite of his burger and pursed his lips in thought. He had a little bit of ketchup on his chin, and Cas reached over to wipe it away with his finger.

"Do you have to be so blatantly affectionate?" A woman asked them, scowling. Her bleached blond hair was perfectly straight, her pink tracksuit open to show off her overly exaggerated cleavage. "There are children present." Indeed, there were toddlers and school-age children playing in the nearby attraction.

Suddenly losing his appetite, Cas leaned back from Dean, his face flaming in mortification.

"What the fuck is your problem, lady?" Dean demanded, and Cas's head shot up at the pure anger in Dean's voice. The other man got to his feet. "It's not like we're having sex in front of you, you might enjoy it too much."

"Why I never-!" The woman cried, scandalized.

"Dean, let's just go." Cas urged, nervously glancing around at the other patrons, as they were starting to stare.

"No, Cas. We have every right to be here, just like she does." Dean sat down emphatically, biting into his burger and chewing, only to open his mouth with the partially chewed food inside to show her. "See? Eating. Just like you're enjoying your rabbit food." He gestured to her salad.

" _Dean_ ," Cas said quietly, but emphatically. "Please."

"Is there a problem here?" A tall, African American man approached them, wearing a security guard's uniform. His eyebrows were crinkled, emphasizing his receding hairline. His nametag read: "Rufus".

"Oh thank God." The woman proclaimed. "Can you please escort these two men out of here?"

"For what, ma'am?" the guard asked, glancing at Cas and Dean speculatively, but not judgmentally.

"For…" she made a disgusted face. "For broadcasting their _lifestyle_. It's ruining my lunch."

"Lifestyle?!" Dean shouted, slamming his hands down on the table. "I'm sorry, did you _choose_ to be straight?"

Indecision crossed the woman's face momentarily, and the guard seemed briefly conflicted. As he looked at Dean closer though, any worry he might have had cleared from his face.

"To keep the peace, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." he said.

Dean and Cas turned to stare at him, only to be completely shocked when they realized the guard wasn't talking to them.

The guard was talking to the woman.

"Are you talking to me?" She demanded. "I didn't do anything wrong!"

"You violated store policy by openly discriminating against a protected class." The guard told her. "Now, please leave. Your food will be discarded for you."

The woman grabbed her purse in a huff.

"Come on, Larry!" she screeched at her presumed husband, who had been watching the whole thing unfold in a spellbound silence. He stumbled to his feet and picked up the baby carriage that had been at his feet, the infant sleeping soundly inside. "Expect to hear from my lawyer!" the woman told the guard.

She stomped away, but not before spitting a final slur at Cas and Dean.

"Faggots."

Rage flushed through Dean's body and he made to charge after the woman, but Cas pulled him into an embrace, pressing his chin against his boyfriend's shoulder.

"Let's go home, Dean. Please."

The anger disappeared as quickly as it had come, and Dean thanked the guard before walking away, he and Cas holding hands, and not giving a damn who saw or what they thought.

"Winchester!" The guard called, and the couple turned back. "Give Bobby Singer my regards."

Dean's eyebrows furrowed, and he looked between the man's nametag and his face. "You look so much like your daddy, it's a wonder you're not his clone. Got your mama's light hair though."

"Rufus?" Dean's eyes widened like saucers. "Holy shit man, how've you been? I didn't even recognize you!"

"That's the point," Rufus moved closer to the two men and said in a theatrical whisper, "I'm working a case."

"Rufus works for the FBI," Dean explained to Cas. "He and Bobby have been friends for a couple decades at least. He used to hang around Singer Auto before he became a big shot."

"Boy, I'm not that old." Rufus complained. "That oversensitive bitch needed to get out, though. You two weren't even doing anything wrong." Dean grinned.

"Turner!" A new voice shouted, and the three men saw a tall, slightly heavyset man in a guard's uniform staring at them, arms crossed angrily. The homophobic woman was smirking beside him.

"Well, shit." Rufus grunted. "You guys better get gone. Good seeing you, though."

-X-X-X-

"For the record, you've never been more attractive to me than you were in that moment." Cas told Dean once they were in the Impala, their new bed packed into the trunk.

"Is that so?" Dean asked, pressing his foot lazily against the brake pedal as they approached a traffic light. "Remind me to stand up to more homophobic bitches in the future, then."

Cas snickered, but then looked down at his lap.

"I suppose you're wondering why I wasn't filled with righteous anger at the whole event," Cas began, but Dean shook his head as the light turned green.

"I would have been shocked if you had, and probably made out with on the spot, but that's not the point. You're not a confrontational person, Cas. You avoid conflict whenever you can. Prob'ly has something to do with your brothers."

"You know about my brothers?" Cas asked.

"Not a whole lot. Sammy told me a little, but not the whole story. I was waitin' for you to come clean when you were ready."

Floored by the patience and understanding Dean showed, Cas took the next opportunity to kiss him soundly on the lips, ending it once he felt the car begin to accelerate.

"Mm, you taste like barbecue sauce," Dean grinned, and Cas smiled affectionately. "I think I wanna christen our mattress tonight, what do you say?"

Cas looked up at him with a sultry smirk.

"What did you have in mind?"

-X-X-X-

"Dean, really, Anna has more important things to do." Cas said uncomfortably as he and Dean walked toward Anna and Gabriel's apartment.

"Why don't we let her decide that?" Dean challenged, and Cas groaned.

"You're really hell bent on this, aren't you?" asked Cas, nervously shifting his sketchbook from one arm to the other.

Dean stopped walking and grabbed Cas's hand, rubbing his thumb across Cas's knuckles.

"I'm just proud of you. I want everyone to see how talented you are." Dean told him sweetly, and Cas huffed out a laugh.

"How am I supposed to argue with that?" Cas wanted to know.

"You're not." Dean pecked Cas on the lips just as they arrived at the doorstep of Cas's former abode.

-X-X-X-

"Yeah, of course I'll paint these!" Anna Novak said cheerfully. "Might need some kickback for the supplies though."

"No problem." Dean said, and she smiled winningly at him. "So how are things with you and Charlie lately?"

For the last six months, Anna had been dating Dean's childhood friend Charlie Bradbury, and to the best of their knowledge, they were quite happy together.

Cas watched his sister's expression change almost imperceptibly. It wasn't something Dean would notice, or Anna would likely even realize that she'd done.

Her mouth fell into the tiniest of frowns before becoming her normal bright smile again.

"We're all right. She's busy getting used to living with Jo, I've got to prepare my lesson plans for next semester…" Anna had recently taken a position with Lawrence Public Schools as the third grade art teacher.

 _Those sound like excuses to me._ Dean thought, his personal red flags going up. He didn't want to cause any unnecessary problems though, so he kept his opinions to himself.

"Oh, by the way," Anna said to Cas, her voice light. "I found an old photo album that we managed to salvage from the fire. It was on the floor of my room when we ran out."

Dean's eyebrows furrowed – fire? He looked over at Cas, only to see his boyfriend staring at his feet. "Oh. You didn't know." Anna said softly. "I'll…give you a minute."

Anna slipped out of her studio and left the two alone.

"You know that Anna, Gabriel and I spent the majority of my childhood on the road; but did you ever wonder why?"

Dean thought about it – in his attempt to wait for Cas to tell him when he was ready, he hadn't really tried to piece it together on his own. He shook his head in answer to Cas, and the dark-haired man leaned his head back, eyes closed. "I have a total of four older brothers, and one sister. I was born in Salt Lake City, Utah; also known as the most religious city in the domestic United States. We were all named for angels: Michael, Lucifer, Raphael, Anna, Gabriel, and me. When I was still in grade school, my mother died. Our father told us it was an accident, and then he left too."

Cas finally looked over at Dean. "You can see why I have abandonment issues." he said drily. Dean cracked a smile and prompted Cas to continue. "Michael and Lucifer took over raising us, as they were legally adults by the time our father disappeared. Raphael was arrested when he was thirteen, and sent to juvie. When he was released five years later, he came home and confronted Michael and Lucifer. I don't know everything that they said; Gabriel and Anna covered my ears. The next morning, Gabriel shook me awake and told me the house was on fire. He, Anna, and I escaped. Raphael wasn't home, and Michael had gone out."

"Your brother set your house on fire?!" Dean cried, unable to contain himself any longer.

"Yes." Cas said bluntly, never one to beat around the bush. "Anna almost suffered a psychotic break-"

"You would too if your big brother tried to kill you." Anna said from the doorframe, where she had been leaning for the last few minutes. "Then we moved in with this elderly couple, the Miltons, and the rest is history."

Dean blew out a long sigh.

"That's some heavy stuff." Dean began. "So you lost everything?"

"Yep." Anna walked in and knelt down by a cardboard box. "Except this." She beckoned the two men over, and they leaned over her shoulder to look inside.

The first picture was of a dark haired and fully bearded man and a smiling blond woman. A small blond boy was giving a brown haired boy bunny ears, a dark-skinned boy was scowling into the camera; a boy that Dean recognized as Gabriel had both Anna and Cas in headlocks.

"This was a few months before our mother died." Anna said. "We were a happy family."

She suddenly stood and gave the album to Cas. "You can look through it, I already did. Charlie's coming over soon, so I should head downstairs to meet her."

Cas sat down and folded his legs into a pretzel. Dean joined him, stretching his legs out as Cas pointed to each of his siblings. "Raphael was adopted. Michael and Lucifer were twins, and then Anna was born with the recessive Novak red hair. Gabriel came next, and then me."

"You were cute even as a kid." Dean said, and Cas rolled his eyes affectionately.

"I always looked up to Michael, always thought he was the greatest big brother ever." Cas confessed. "I guess you could say I idolized him."

"I did the same thing with my dad." Dean told him. "Kind of explains why Sam was his favorite."

As they went through the album, Dean asked questions about Cas's family, and what life on the road was like.

"Michael and Lucifer don't even look like siblings, let alone twins." Dean commented. "You look a lot like your dad."

"Gabriel says I got his looks." Cas said, and Dean sensed a new tension in his tone, and reached over to close the album. "Dean-"

"This is upsetting you."

"How do you know?"

Dean blinked, surprised at the anger in Cas's question. "I'm sorry." Cas sighed after a few minutes. "I was hoping it wasn't obvious. I want to share this with you, I do. It's just…" he shrugged helplessly.

"I can read you like a book." Dean cupped Cas's face in his palm, turning the other man to face him. "What're you scared of?"

"Being too happy." Cas admitted. "You see it in the pictures – every time I've been happy, tragedy has followed. When I was younger, I believed I was cursed."

"Nah." Dean said, kissing Cas's forehead, nose, then either side of his lips. "Curses ain't real." The timbre of his voice became more rough, but smooth at the same time – like uneven molasses. Cas shivered.

"You did that on purpose." he accused, his face flaming when he realized what Dean was doing. "You know that does things to me."

Dean smirked innocently.

"Payback's a bitch."

-X-X-X-

Sam Winchester was a simple man. He needed the bare necessities to be happy, and had been blessed so far with a solid family, awesome friends, and an amazing boyfriend.

His fingers danced over the keyboard of his ancient PC laptop, bringing life to all of the ideas in his head. His tongue was even curled over the right side of his lip as he worked, so he jumped slightly when he felt strong arms slip around him from behind.

"Mmm, come to bed Sam," Gabriel murmured in his ear. "I miss you."

"Be there in a minute," Sam said, clicking save on the document and closing it before Gabriel could start reading it.

"Whatcha workin' on?" Gabriel asked through a yawn, straightening up and stretching. He wore grey boxers and no shirt, and his hair was rumpled from sleep. Sam stood up for the first time in at least six hours, leaning back and stretching. He winced as his joints popped in protest.

"Nothing important." Sam answered, removing his glasses and placing them on the desk.

Though he still technically lived with his ex-fiancé Jess, Sam spent far more time in Gabriel and Anna's duplex. In fact, unless he had to go back to take Jess to work or something else routine, he basically lived with Gabriel. "Hey I'm not…you know, mooching off of you, am I?"

"Sam, it's 3 A.M. I don't want to answer your silly questions." Gabriel told him. "But if I did want too, I'd say no. Mooching is when you overstay your welcome – trust me, I've done that a few times over the years – but I want you here. Anna loves you cuz' you understand the difference between vegan and vegetarian, but also cuz' you make me happy and junk." Gabriel tilted his head in the way that Cas often did when he didn't understand something. "Why?"

"No reason." Sam said. "I just…with Jess and Garth getting more and more serious…"

Gabriel said nothing as he wrapped his fingers around Sam's hand and pulled him onto their bed and kissed him passionately.

"Why Sammy…" Gabriel said in a scandalized tone. "Are you asking to move in?"

"Only Dean calls me Sammy," Sam grumbled, not answering the question. Gabriel chuckled.

"You're so cute, you know that?" the shorter man informed him. "Let's talk about this more in the morning. The longer we stay horizontal like this, the more interested my cock gets."

Indeed, Sam could feel Gabriel's half hard dick pressing against his thigh. Sam pressed his weight into his hands and knees and ground his hips against Gabriel's tauntingly. He then rolled over to his side of the bed and curled up as though he was going to go to sleep right then and there.

"Oh, you little tease." Gabriel growled, and tackled Sam, living concerns forgotten for the moment.

-X-X-X-

Around 9 AM, Sam's nostrils picked up on the scent of rich cinnamon and maple syrup, but the smell was far too close to be coming from the kitchen. He opened his eyes and found Gabriel, now wearing his favorite lounging pants and a Las Vegas, Nevada t-shirt, holding a platter of perfectly baked pancakes with bananas on top, a cup of coffee, and a glass of juice.

"What's this for?" Sam asked.

"You looked so cute sleeping that I didn't want to wake you. So I brought you breakfast in bed." Sam reached up to take the tray.

"You didn't have to do that." Sam told him, touched that Gabriel had done something so sweet.

"I wanted too. Plus, it'll give me practice."

"Practice?" asked Sam, picking up his knife and fork. Gabriel paused, but Sam knew he'd say what he wanted to say eventually.

Buttery deliciousness filled Sam's mouth as he took a bite, and he moaned in appreciation. He made sure to lather the pancakes with syrup, the way he had when he and Dean were kids. He ate so fast that he was probably going to have some indigestion later, but looked up when his boyfriend spoke.

"I want to open my own bakery."

Sam turned to look at Gabriel, who had moved to sit beside him on the bed. "Spending most of my teenage years on the run, it gave me a chance to really figure out what I wanted to do once I settled down. Now that we're here in Lawrence, no brothers or baggage in sight…I just can't help but feel like this is the perfect time."

"Go for it!" cheered Sam, and Gabriel glanced at him in surprise.

"No 'it's going to take a long time' or 'it's silly' lectures?"

"What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't support your dreams? You've never discouraged me from college or law school, why should I try and stop you from starting your own business, especially if this is," he gestured to the empty plate "-is the result?"

For some reason, Gabriel felt a laugh bubbling in his chest. He knew it wasn't exactly the right time, but he couldn't stop once he got started. He let out a full guffaw, the kind that made is hard to breathe and had him holding his stomach.

He saw Sam was giving him a bitch face, and that just made him smirk.

"I couldn't help myself, you were just being so sweet and earnest." Sam mumbled something, but instead of questioning what it was, Gabriel removed the tray and set it aside. "Now, what do you say we finish what we started last night?"

-X-X-X-

Winter sunlight shone brightly on the roof of the bright red Chevy Camaro that Dean was working on. His scooter was firm under his back, rolling slightly as he shifted and worked with the car's inner mechanics.

"Hey Dean!" Bobby shouted, and Dean rolled out from under the car.

"Yeah, Bobby?" he called back.

"Can you come on back to the office for a sec?" Dean stood up and dropped his tools into his nearby toolbox, pulling up the hem of his shirt to dab at the sweat on his forehead. It didn't matter what time of year it was, car garages were always hot and busy.

Dean ambled to the back office, completely unaware of the shadow that followed him.

Gordon Walker was an African American man of medium height and build. He'd been working at Singer Auto since it opened in the late 90s. He'd always been suspicious of Dean and Bobby's bond, because while he and Bobby had gotten along, it was clear that Dean was his favorite.

"Close the door." Dean swung the door to the office shut behind him, but neither man saw Gordon's foot slide between the door and the threshold, stopping it from closing completely.

Bobby had taken off his trucker's hat and was running a hand through his sweaty hair. At 67, he looked pretty good, though bits of gray had begun to sneak into his beard and the top of his hairline.

"Dean, there's no way to sugarcoat this. I ain't gettin' any younger, and with this damned chair, I can't run the shop the way I'd like too. Jo's away at school, Ellen's running the Roadhouse…I can't help but feel like it's time to retire." Dean opened his mouth to say something, but Bobby held up a hand. "It's clear to everyone that knows you you're good with cars, you handle the customers well enough, and my staff respects you."

Gordon had to resist the urge to snort. Respect was a strong word for what Gordon felt about Dean Winchester. "So, I guess what I'm saying is: do you want to take over my shop?"

Dean blinked.

"Bobby, I…"

"Take some time to think about it. Hell, take the rest of the day off. Go home, talk to Cas. There's no time limit on it. I just want to know that the shop will be taken care of."

Jealous rage consumed Gordon as Dean walked right past him in a haze.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Gordon demanded, throwing open the door as soon as Dean was out of hearing range. " _Him_?!"

"Oh, hey Gordon. Nice of you to drop in." Bobby said, not at all surprised. "How long were you out there eavesdroppin'?"

"Long enough. Bobby, I don't have to tell you that I've been here since you opened. If anyone should take it over, it's me."

"Answer me this: other than years of service, why should I even consider you?"

Gordon licked his lips, any answer disappearing from his mind. "That's what I thought. You're a good mechanic; but it takes more than that to run a business."

"He's an alcoholic!" Gordon protested.

"An alcoholic that's been sober for 912 days. He got his two year sobriety token a few months ago." Bobby said coldly. "And he's going to KU for his Bachelor's degree in Engineering. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you drop out of high school?"

Gordon said nothing as he balled his hands into fists, glaring at the wall. "Now get out of my office." Bobby finished, and Gordon did, slamming the door on his way out.

 _This isn't over._ Gordon thought, staring at Dean as he climbed onto his motorcycle. _Not by a long shot._

-X-X-X-

 _Congratulations! You have completed your application for:_

 ** _Doctorate in Psychology_**

 _at Columbia University!_

 _Please do not call the Office of Admissions unless you have a legitimate concern about your application. It can take up to three months for our staff to make a decision._

Cas leaned back and sighed, running a hand through his hair. New York wasn't around the corner, but a desire to leave, to get away, itched under his skin like a persistent bug bite.

The door to his and Dean's apartment opened and shut, so Cas hastily closed out the browser window. He wasn't going to say anything to Dean until he knew for sure whether he was going or not.

"Cas? You here?" Dean called.

"Hello, Dean," Cas said, and Dean walked over to him, pulled him to his feet, and pressed his forehead against the other man's shoulder. "Are you all right?"

"Been better." Dean answered. "Bobby asked me to take over the shop for him."

Cas pushed Dean and arm's length away and tried to look into his eyes. The green-haired man was staring at the floor.

"Dean, that's fantastic! You've always wanted to own your own shop!"

"Sure, but I never…I don't think I can handle the responsibility."

"And how do you know unless you try?" Cas asked, pulling Dean into a hug once again. "You don't have to make any decisions now. Come on – let's go to the Roadhouse. You'll feel better."

"You're the best, Cas." Dean told him.

Guilt chewed on Cas's heart as Dean looked at him with so much admiration and love in his eyes.

 _It's only temporary._ He told himself. _I might not even get in._

As he and Dean bundled up in their winter attire, Cas's stomach rebelled intensely against the idea of food, but he didn't care. The Roadhouse always made Dean feel better, and even if Cas didn't eat, he'd at least get to see Dean smile.

That'd be enough.

-X-X-X-

A/N: Hello out there and welcome to my next Destiel/Sabriel-filled adventure! FYI, this is a sequel to "When They Think of Me (They Think of You)"; but there will be enough of an original plot that I believe this can be read on its own if you so choose.

Please let me know what you think, and I'll see you next time!

-Charmy


	2. Making Amends

Love Is Like a Torch (It's Burning Bright)

By: TheFifthCharmedOne

Disclaimer: Nope. Kripke owns the characters, the show just owns my soul.

Summary: [Sequel to When They Think of Me (They Think of You)] Six months later, nobody expected this to happen. "What did you think? We were all going to live happily ever after? Please. Spare me your sparkly bullshit." – Destiel, Sabriel, Anna/Charlie/Jo, Jess/Garth, and others.

-X-X-X-

Chapter Two: Making Amends

Armed with a full basket of dirty clothes, Gabriel stampeded down the steps of his duplex, headed toward the basement laundry room.

He heard the door open behind him.

"Anna?" he questioned, and when she didn't answer immediately, dread shot down his spine like an electric current.

"Not quite."

Gabriel whirled around and the laundry basket clattered to the floor, the clothes spilling across the linoleum.

"What are you doing here?" the second youngest Novak demanded, his mouth suddenly as dry as sandpaper. He couldn't stop himself from staring at the newcomer, taking in his changed appearance.

Dirty blond hair arched upward over a medium-sized forehead, accompanied by a diamon-shaped face, long neck, and thinly muscled frame. His height hovered between 6'1 and 6'2. In Gabriel's mind, the invader had blood red eyes to match his evil personality.

"It's been a long time." Lucifer Novak crooned.

"Eighteen years since you tried to burn your family to a crisp." Gabriel said bluntly, crossing his arms over his chest. "What are you doing here?" he repeated. "How did you even get in?"

"You need to be sneakier about hiding your spares." Lucifer held up the small bronze key, which glinted glaringly in the fluorescent lights. "It's cute that you check to see who's coming in."

"Go fuck yourself."

"So fresh." Lucifer tsked. "Aren't you at least a little bit happy to see me?"

"Why should I be?"

Lucifer's head tilted, his chin jutting out. The striking similarity to Cas made Gabriel's stomach clench.

"We're family, Gabriel. Blood."

"You're nothing to me." Gabriel growled. "Now get out before I beat the shit out of you."

A shadow passed over Lucifer's face. If Gabriel didn't know any better, he would almost categorize it as regret.

"I knew that you wouldn't be rolling out the red carpet for me, but threats are a bit excessive. You won't even let me explain myself."

"What's there to explain?"

"Gabe?" A new voice called.

"Anna, can you come down here please?"

Whether it was the use of the word please, or just the eerily calm to Gabriel's voice when he said it, the two brothers heard something hit the ground before Anna came stomping down the steps. She stopped in the doorway and her face drained of color.

"Luke?" she asked faintly.

"Hey, baby sis." Lucifer put his hand up as if to wave and then thought better of it. Anna blinked rapidly, as though she was trying to shake herself out of a dream.

Or in this case, a nightmare.

-X-X-X-

"Hey Cas, could you hand me that socket wrench?" Cas knelt down beside his boyfriend and gave him what he thought was the requested tool. Dean rolled out from under the car, smiling bemusedly.

"This isn't a socket wrench." Dean dropped the tool into the box and picked up the right one.

"In my defense, they all look similar." Cas told him, and Dean just shook his head in bemusdement. "I'm a scholar, not a mechanic." he continued sulkily, and Dean interlocked their fingers, kissing Cas's knuckles.

"You okay?" Dean asked, watching as Cas's expressive blue eyes darkened guiltily. "Something seems off."

"I just…" Cas shrugged. "I want to get away. Go somewhere else." Dean waited for him to continue. "I spent most of my formative years on the move, so staying in one place has never worked for me."

"So you want to go on vacation?" Dean asked. "Where do you want to go?"

Cas's heart thumped painfully in his chest – maybe he'd been wrong not to tell Dean about Columbia. If he was this open about traveling…

"Dean, I…I have to tell you something." Cas said, and the other man's eyebrows furrowed.

"Castiel."

Cas turned, and the color disappeared from his face so fast that Dean thought he'd pass out right there. His shoulders hunched in defensively, but his eyes never left the stranger's face.

"Hello, Michael."

Dean glanced between his boyfriend and the newcomer, barely able to believe his eyes.

The eldest Novak sibling was tall and lean, probably around 6'2, with dark hair and a square shaped face. He was wearing a black t-shirt with a hoodie, and jeans.

"Michael Novak," the dark-haired man said to Dean, offering his hand for a handshake. "You are?"

"Dean Winchester." the mechanic said, still watching Cas in concern. "Is there something I can help you with?" he asked reflexively, as though suddenly remembering he was still at work.

"Perhaps. I wish to have a family reunion of sorts. My twin is currently with Gabriel and Anna, and I am here, hoping to convince my youngest brother to have dinner with us. However, if he doesn't want to talk to me, I'm willing to leave the address of the establishment where we have reservations."

Cas said nothing, his fists clenched tightly against his thighs.

"Cas, can I talk to you for a second?" When the brown-haired man didn't respond, Dean wrapped a firm hand around the other's elbow and pulled him toward the back office.

"I always knew this day would come. I just thought I would be more prepared when it did."

"What do you want to do?" Dean asked. He had never seen Cas this way.

"Dean! We got a 1957 Studebaker here that needs a state inspection!" Bobby's voice called from the garage. Something sparked in the back of Dean's mind, a memory, but it wasn't strong enough to distract him from Cas.

"Go ahead. I'll be fine. I just need to get myself together." Cas told Dean, and after some hesitation, the other man walked out into the garage.

A few minutes later, Cas came out, and found a handwritten note sitting on the hood of the car Dean had been working on a few minutes ago. Michael was nowhere to be seen.

 _Harvelle's Roadhouse_

 _Reservation at 6pm_

 _Hope to see you there, little brother._

 _-M_

-X-X-X-

6:00 PM came far too quickly for Castiel's liking. He and Dean had agreed to come together, especially after talking with Gabriel and Anna. Gabriel had suggested Charlie come, but Anna reminded him that she was going to pick up Jo from the airport. (Never mind that she and Charlie hadn't spoken since their last disagreement.)

Gabe hadn't wanted to come to dinner at all, but the combined efforts of Anna and Sam were enough to at the very least get him to agree to drinks.

"I'm going to need something stronger than whiskey for this." Gabe grumbled.

The Roadhouse was empty except for two men, seated at the centermost table. An uncomfortable chill shot down Dean's spine at the complete silence – he was used to music and chatter filling the air of the restaurant. He felt the wrongness of it like heartburn and acid reflux, all at once.

Ellen leaned casually against the bar, drying an already pristine beer mug. Clearly, she was keeping watch to make sure that things didn't go south. Bobby probably wasn't far away either. For that, Dean was thankful.

Michael looked exactly the same as he had a few hours before, and Cas grabbed Dean's hand reflexively. The latter's heart did a happy little squirm, but he quashed it before it could come to full fruition.

Lucifer had sandy blond hair and similar bone structure to his brother, but that was where the similarities ended. Dean knew that twins could be identical or fraternal – but these two didn't even look like they had the same parents.

"Hello." Lucifer said quietly. "Let's just get straight to the point." The blond sat on the table with his hands folded. "I didn't want to hurt any of you."

Gabriel snorted and Sam squeezed his knee to keep him from objecting. Gabe glared at Sam, who was watching Lucifer and not paying attention. Cas blew out a long breath, resting his elbows against his knees. Anna kept her face carefully neutral.

"I was just so angry…Father was gone, Raphael was lashing out, Anna was getting ready to leave…" he bowed his head dejectedly. "I realize what I did was unforgivable, but…I got help. I went to a therapist and a psychiatrist and…" Lucifer let out a shaky sigh. "I've been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. It explains everything. The manic episodes, the months of depression afterward…the… _destructive_ behavior…"

"You mean to tell us that, after all these years, you have a mental illness, and that's why you nearly killed us all?" Gabriel shot out of his chair. "That's the biggest load of bullshit I've ever heard."

"Gabe, give him a chance." Sam said, and Gabe narrowed his eyes at his boyfriend.

"Why should I? News flash, Sam; not everyone is as unhealthily codependent as you and the squirrel here." He gestured to Dean. "If you think I'm going to forgive him because he's sick, you're crazier than he is." Before Sam could say anything else, Gabe stomped out of the restaurant back to his apartment.

Sam got up and follow him, but Anna puts a gentle hand on his arm, causing him to turn to her. "Let him cool down first. When he gets like this, he says things he doesn't mean."

Meanwhile, Cas is resting his elbows on his knees and breathing heavily. Dean is rubbing his back and trying to keep him calm, all while glaring menacingly at Luke.

-X-X-X-

Later that night, Charlie Bradbury sat at Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport with one leg crossed over the other, scrolling through Tumblr on her phone. She snorted at some of the posts and laughed at others, earning some strange looks from the people around her.

"Charlie!"

Jo Harvelle jogged toward the redhead, pulling a suitcase behind her and adjusting the backpack on her back.

"Jo!" Charlie pocketed her phone and went over to hug the blonde. The student's hair was pulled into a messy top bun, her face pale and tired, but her smile radiated happiness. She wore a dark purple hoodie with gold letters spelling UALBANY across the chest. "How were your flights?"

"Not bad. I slept most of the way from Albany to Chicago."

"I could never sleep on planes. Cars, sure. Trains, maybe. But definitely not planes."

"I sold my soul to the devil known as finals." Jo joked. "I guess I needed to rest." Charlie smiled, though the expression felt strange on her face, and she realized in that moment that she hadn't been happy enough to smile in months.

The two girls started walking toward the airport exit, and as soon as the winds of Wichita hit their cheeks, Jo shivered.

"I forgot how cold Kansas can get," she said in embarrassment.

"My car isn't far; and Dean just put in a new heater for me."

"Ooh nice." Jo smiled, and the pink of her cheeks made Charlie's breath catch. Jo's brown eyes seemed to sparkle like the Kansas stars, and her stomach flipped uncomfortably. "Hello? Charlie? Do I have something on my face?"

"No, sorry about that." Charlie replied.

It wasn't until much later that Charlie realized she hadn't thought about Anna at all after she met up with Jo.

-X-X-X-

"Attention library patrons, the Pontiac Public Library will be closing in thirty minutes. Please bring any items you wish to borrow to the circulation desk."

The city library of Pontiac, Illinois was mostly empty, except for one young woman, who was sitting at computer #2, typing furiously.

 _I want to meet you. Where are you?_

She hesitated before pressing enter, her heart thudding in her chest. Breathing in deeply, and let it out with a sigh and sent the message.

 _I want to meet you too, Claire._ The return message said after a few torturous minutes. _Currently I'm in Lawrence, Kansas, trying to reconnect with my – our – family._

Family. Claire thought, a smile gracing her face despite herself. Her hand instantly grabbed at the locket she never took off – it had her mother's picture inside and had once belonged to her grandfather.

Claire clicked open a new tab and looked up airline prices. Her heart sunk as she perused the options – the cheapest was almost $200. Not to mention getting to the airport…and what she would do once she got to Lawrence…

 _That's farther than I can afford._

 _Don't worry about the cost. I will take care of it._

Claire sat back in her chair, unable to believe the words before her. He was offering to cover her travel costs?

Another message popped onto the screen: _I will e-mail you my credit card information. I'm looking forward to meeting you._

"Miss?" A security guard approached Claire, and she jumped slightly. "Sorry to disturb you but the library is about to close for the evening. Do you have any items you wish to borrow?"

"N-No." Claire stammered. "Uh, thanks."

She gathered her things and closed out her browser, her stomach turning with nervous and excited butterflies. She practically ran from the library to the local bus stop, where she slid her transit pass and went to the far back of the vehicle, resolving to listen to music for the entire ride to her job at the diner.

Claire Novak was twenty – old enough to be an adult, but not to drink in a bar. Her mother, Amelia, had died five years before from breast cancer, and Claire had lived with her grandparents until she was eighteen.

After that, she became a drifter, never staying anywhere longer than six months. Eventually she ended up back in Pontiac, but her grandparents had both passed away and left her nothing – she supposed telling them that she wanted nothing to do with them the last night she saw them could lead to disinheritance.

That was when she'd gotten the message from Luke Novak, her biological father. Her mother had been trying to adopt for years, but ultimately decided on being inseminated with a stranger's sperm, and from there, Claire was born. After discovering the truth about her parentage, she'd spent most of her teenage years searching for her father whenever she could sneak onto her grandfather's computer without her grandmother looking over her shoulder.

Six months ago, she finally got a response, and they began chatting constantly. They had even Skyped more than once, but the connection was always so grainy that she never got a clear view of his face.

Her phone vibrated with a mail alert – she only had service because she'd signed up for one of those cheap monthly plans and the company never ended her trial – even though it was long past the expiration date.

She opened the new email from Luke – her _dad_ – and saw the promised credit card information. She sent him a quick response and went back to her musing until the bus arrived at the stop for Randy's Diner.

"Hey, C." Alex, her one and only friend, greeted from the server's podium. "Salinger from the Health Department is here, be on your best behavior."

"Aren't I always?" Claire replied with her usual sarcasm, only for her expression to turn serious. "Can I talk to you about something?

"For sure." Alex answered. "Want a ride home?"

To Alex, home meant the group shelter that Claire slept in and where they had met. Claire, personally, didn't see that grungy cesspool as home, but she wasn't going to tell Alex that. Celia, the director, and her legion of vampires (as Claire had dubbed them, to Alex's annoyance) had practically raised Alex after her drug addict mother had left her there as a baby.

"Yeah." Claire said finally, and continued walking back to the locker area without another word to her friend.

-X-X-X-

After their shift, Alex and Claire walked out to the group home's rusty sedan and got inside, only for Alex to start interrogating Claire.

"Okay, you've been acting weird all night. I want to know what's up now."

Claire sighed.

"You know how I've been talking to my dad for the last few months, right?"

"Yeah…" Alex prompted.

"Well, he wants to meet me. In person."

Alex's eyes widened.

"For real?" she asked, and Claire nodded. "Why don't you seem stoked?"

"Because he's in Lawrence, Kansas. It's too far for me to afford on a waitress's salary."

"I'm sure he wouldn't have offered if he didn't have a plan."

"I mean he sent me his credit card information but-"

"And you haven't scheduled your flight why?" Alex cut Claire off, and the latter narrowed her eyes. "Sorry."

"I just…what if he's a total creep? Or like not my real dad?"

"He sent you a picture of himself, didn't he?" Alex asked. "You two couldn't look more alike if you tried; and the response to that is simple: DNA test ASAP."

"But…what about you? And Randy?"

"I'll be fine. Just make sure you keep in touch." Alex told her, turning around to start the car's ignition, seemingly satisfied with the outcome of her interrogation. "And Randy is a big boy. He can handle himself."

-X-X-X-

Randy Critchlow's bruised and broken body fell to the concrete with a wet thud. The restaurant owner groaned in pain.

"I've been keeping you out of bankruptcy too long, Critchlow." Salinger, the dark-haired and mysterious loan shark growled, kicking Randy in the stomach for good measure. "It's time it started benefiting me."

Salinger looked up as headlights passed the alley behind the restaurant, and he caught side of the blonde waitress he'd seen earlier. "Starting…with her."

-X-X-X-

A/N: Hey guys, long time no update! So sorry about that – grad school and looking for a new job took over my life for the last few months, but now I'm done for the semester and settling in at my new place, so I should be able to update more often now! Key word being should – I'm still working with an incomplete outline, so we'll see what happens with that.

That said, I know this is a little shorter than the first chapter but that's because everything happened that was supposed to happen so adding much more would have just been stupid fluff. So I'm posting it now, and I hope you guys like it!

Please let me know what you think!

-Charmy


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